Former Rownall resident Chris Collier jailed for murder of Russian wife in Turkey

A FORMER mobile phone salesman has been sentenced to 24 years in a Turkish jail after being found guilty of murdering his wife.

Forty-year-old Chris Collier killed his Russian wife Julia at their Kusadasi home on the Aegean coast of Turkey.

Collier, who lived in Rownall, near Cheddleton, and Vicarage Crescent, in Tean, before emigrating to the resort in the late 1990s, was arrested the day after his wife's death on Saturday, November 27, 2010.

It is believed Mrs Collier was knocked unconscious with a hard object before being smothered.

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Collier, a former employee of Caudwell Communications, will now spend more than two decades in prison after being found guilty at a trial.

A former neighbour of Collier, Mike Worthington, of Folly Lane, Cheddleton, said he was 'shocked' to hear the news.

He added: "Since the incident I had heard nothing more about what was happening over there.

"The whole thing is really sad because Chris was such a fun-loving man.

"I had been out for a few meals with him in Leek before he moved to Turkey so it is a real shame this has happened.

"I would have liked to have seen him serve his sentence in an English prison really, because you hear all sorts of stories about these foreign prisons and to be honest, I don't think he is a strong enough character to be able to serve that amount of time in a prison over there.

"I just hope he gets treated respectfully."

It is thought Collier ran an estate agency in Kusadasi while 35-year-old Mrs Collier, was a pianist, giving private lessons as well as performing at hotels and bars, including the resort's Korumar Hotel.

A friend of Collier's mother, who lives in Tean and asked not to be named, added: "I know Chris's mum, she is a lovely lady and it is a shame the family have been put through this.

"He hasn't been in England for a long time but the news of his prison term it is still a shock to the community where he used to live."

A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "We are aware that a British national was sentenced to 24 years imprisonment in Turkey on August 6.

"We will continue to provide consular assistance to him and his family here in the UK."

Comments

I believe that the film "Midnight Express" was based upon an incident in Turkey (if you have not seen the film, ensure its on your list of wanted DVD's).
The jails are rough and tough.
However, commit a crime in a foreign country and expect to be jailed in that country.
Why should he be allowed to serve his time in the UK, playing pool, using the Gym, playing computer games etc. etc. None of that in Turkey.
Oh how I wish our jails were like the jails in Turkey.